With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!!
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#fediTips
> What could be done to .. increase the user base ..?Our problem @taylorlorenz?
The fact that influencer like you refuse to setup their own instances.You can do that with a few clicks from where you are right now, for example with @mastohost and offer your followers a profile on your server. They become your community member, supporting your work with a modest yearly fee.
And don't go big is beautiful!
Exclusiveness is key and moderation the bottle neck of healthy social media.@bitpickup @taylorlorenz @mastohost
"refuse" ?
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The lack of an algorithm is the biggest advantage and the biggest disadvantage - it makes it hard to discover new content and people to follow. I know people are working on "starter packs" for Mastodon like they have on BlueSky, which I think will help.
But I wonder if we could find other ways to make discovery easier - a "followed by people you follow" or "favorited by people you follow" feed, or something. Also, I wonder if the interface shouldn't suggest boosting a post when you favorite it... We need more people boosting more stuff, with no algorithm.
You have to follow 200+ people to get a decently full feed on Mastodon, and everyone has to boost a lot. Reducing the effort required to do those things would increase engagement on Mastodon, I'm pretty sure.
@marymessall @taylorlorenz Following hashtags really should be packaged as less technical and more fun. As in, "here are some keywords, tap the ones that interest you!" and then automate that so that they're following those hashtags.
Also, for the love of GOD, make it so I can follow a hashtag in a list. I *need* an exclusive #Linux feed to escape the world.
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@taylorlorenz Also, specifically for TikTok users, we actually do have a federated alternative, not sure if you heard of it, https://joinloops.org?
I wonder if Mastodon's reputation has been too tarnished by all the gatekeeping and scolding. Maybe we could get more people into the fediverse sneakily through another platform?
@stefan @taylorlorenz I have the feeling that some ppl were afraid of the new, "fragile" Fediverse to get overrun/"destroyed" by asocial behavior. And then got a bit overprotective, like parents.
Maybe it's just me and my bubble, but I have the feeling that such behavior might have toned down a bit? -
With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
My own take is that the US fascists consolidate power to the point that every US-based social media platform turns to shit so people will flock here.
I've got half a dozen news articles of that happening right now, and it's going to get much worse before November.
We warned this would happen.
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With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
@taylorlorenz Its own community. The purity tests they demand are impossible for the masses. Just look at what happened when Instagram federated.
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@taylorlorenz joining is genuinely as easy as joining Twitter so I also don’t get it. Also regarding users having different servers they all seem to understand that when it comes to email. No one worries about emailing from gmail to outlook or whatever.
So I’m right there with you. I truely don’t get it. It just needs more people. I also suspect people LIKE the algorithm and miss it. I always tell people this is just Twitter before the algorithm.
@jsatk @taylorlorenz The signup contains a step that, while not actually difficult, is not presented in a way that's recognizable to users, and that's what makes it "hard." People are hesitant about the unfamiliar. There's a way to present that so it feels like tapping on icons that represent your interests or whatever. That's a "UX" issue that could be solved, IMO.
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@bitpickup @taylorlorenz @mastohost
"refuse" ?
@OrionKidder
> "refuse" ?As of now, apparently.
Provokative wording creates engagement with the content.
I mean, hand me the key's give me the permission and I'll handle the rest @taylorlorenz!
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@stefan @taylorlorenz I have the feeling that some ppl were afraid of the new, "fragile" Fediverse to get overrun/"destroyed" by asocial behavior. And then got a bit overprotective, like parents.
Maybe it's just me and my bubble, but I have the feeling that such behavior might have toned down a bit?@T_X @stefan @taylorlorenz I was here during the migration, and I'd agree. It's also the case that new users occasionally acted like the bad kind of tourist: "Why isn't this place just like home?" That clash was a big part of the problem.
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With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
@taylorlorenz Do you find enough audience here to engage with?
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The lack of an algorithm is the biggest advantage and the biggest disadvantage - it makes it hard to discover new content and people to follow. I know people are working on "starter packs" for Mastodon like they have on BlueSky, which I think will help.
But I wonder if we could find other ways to make discovery easier - a "followed by people you follow" or "favorited by people you follow" feed, or something. Also, I wonder if the interface shouldn't suggest boosting a post when you favorite it... We need more people boosting more stuff, with no algorithm.
You have to follow 200+ people to get a decently full feed on Mastodon, and everyone has to boost a lot. Reducing the effort required to do those things would increase engagement on Mastodon, I'm pretty sure.
@marymessall @taylorlorenz I think that feature already exists? I do get shown some suggestions to follow in the Mastodon web client at least (from who I follow so far? Or who I follow follows?). Not on the Tusky mobile app though I think.
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With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
@taylorlorenz A name change might help, and for people to be able to build their own little algorithms on top of the non-changed feed.
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@stefan @taylorlorenz I have the feeling that some ppl were afraid of the new, "fragile" Fediverse to get overrun/"destroyed" by asocial behavior. And then got a bit overprotective, like parents.
Maybe it's just me and my bubble, but I have the feeling that such behavior might have toned down a bit?@T_X I also feel like it has, but it could also be that we've already driven too many people away?
(Certainly hope that's not the case!)
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@OrionKidder
> "refuse" ?As of now, apparently.
Provokative wording creates engagement with the content.
I mean, hand me the key's give me the permission and I'll handle the rest @taylorlorenz!
@bitpickup @taylorlorenz "Refuse" implies she has a responsibility to do it, and I'm not seeing that as anyone's responsibility. Setting up an instance takes time, technical skill, and money. Nobody owes any of that to the world. I'm grateful to those who do, and I support them financially because it can, but that's all.
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With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
@taylorlorenz I both appreciate a chronological, unfiltered feed *and* the trending/explore feed of posts that are being boosted a lot. It lets me feel in control without getting in a rut.
But that's probably not exactly what people expect. I could see value in a feed that mixes the two, especially if you aren't following a lot of people yet.
Optional, of course. It's tricky balancing being accessible with having full control.
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@NickGates @bitpickup @futurebird @IveyJanette @taylorlorenz Yup. Generally speaking, if there are no Black people in your space, then you have not made a space in which they feel welcome. That's not on them.
I haven't seen or heard any reports since a initial uproar in 2022, when the MusXodus started. That's why asked. I guess that's more reasonable than stating without references or pointing out where and whom to block.
black twitter decided to choose bluesky over the privileged european mastodon community, created a bluesky node of their own and are surfing happily ever after in the realm of decentralized networks.
Good for them!
@NickGates @futurebird @IveyJanette @taylorlorenz -
With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
Institutions, companies, groups and organizations need to recognize that they can host their own social media instances, and thereby own their data and control their presence.
This is difficult for them to grasp, because they are used to depending on a corporate intermediary, and entire industries are devoted to fostering this reliance.
It's like telling a house cat they can be free and opening the door.
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Maybe change the name Mastodon to something lighter.
Compare the mental image Mastodon produces to TikTok, Twitter, BlueSky.
@douglasthiel @taylorlorenz Agree, just think of what the prefix mast(o)- can remind female users of.
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With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
@taylorlorenz one of the big reasons people stay on corp(s) media is because they are running their businesses there. Small businesses, crafters etc make a ton of sales through tiktok/IG. Leaving their audience is akin to leaving their businesses. I love mastodon! But I can't sell anything without getting blocked or reported.
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With all the tiktok drama I have been telling people Mastodon is still here and kicking!! I love this app and I really think the decentralized model is the best for social media.
Still, people don’t want to join! What do you think Mastodon’s biggest barriers are to courting new users? What could be done to improve the product and grow the user base in a positive way?
@taylorlorenz A lot of good points here, so won’t repeat them. But to put it simple, and citing The Matrix, it’s a red pill, blue pill situation: red pill, you jump on the Fediverse, and take part in a new concept of social media. No corporations, no algorithm, no tracking, no centralized servers. Blue pill, you stay in corporate controlled land, with the algorithm and ad tracking cookies. You’ll keep yelling at bots and bigots. So, their choice.
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@bitpickup @taylorlorenz "Refuse" implies she has a responsibility to do it, and I'm not seeing that as anyone's responsibility. Setting up an instance takes time, technical skill, and money. Nobody owes any of that to the world. I'm grateful to those who do, and I support them financially because it can, but that's all.
@OrionKidder
> "Refuse" implies she has a responsibility to do itImplies it for you.
That's fine with me.> Setting up an instance takes time
Time is money.
> technical skill,
Not any more.
> and money.
Much less than you think.
~6 bucks a month is actually an amount of money anyone should be willing to spend to support, the ownership of your very own data, your re contacts, your independence an democracy itself.If freeriding suits you, that's your choice.
